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State treasury officials suspected something was fishy about the tax payments made by an Orchard Lake sushi restaurant.

Turns out they were right.

On Thursday, Christina and Dong Chang, owners of Sushi Samurai on Orchard Lake Road at Pontiac Trail, pleaded guilty to 64 counts of embezzlement for taking $170,000 in sales tax revenue that should have gone to the state.

“This business knowingly cheated the law for their own personal gain,” Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette said in a statement.

The couple cheated the state by under-reporting their sales, Schuette said.

"Sushi was a suspected entity which reported sales volumes which seemed low," according to the criminal complaint. "A review of Sushi's system reveal that sales had been suppressed for years and the sales tax and income tax returns that were filed were false."

Investigators said the couple installed a piece of illegal software on their accounting computer to work the scam.

"A search revealed the Changs possessed an automated sales suppressor device or zapper program on their computer," according to the complaint. "The investigation confirmed that the changes then embezzled over $100,000 from Sushi converting cash to their own use or taking the cash and converting it to gold."

Schuette said Sushi Samurai also must pay restitution for $274,378.52 in unpaid income taxes, penalty and interest and $706,101.07 in sales tax, penalty and interest.

The couple remains free on bond pending sentencing, which is scheduled for Nov. 30 in front of Oakland County Circuit Judge Phyllis McMillen.

The couple still face additional charges:

One count of embezzlement over $100,000, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison and/or a fine up to $50,000, or 3 times the amount embezzled, whichever is greater.

One count of conspiracy to embezzle over $100,000, a felony punishable by up to 20 years and a $10,000 fine.

One count of possession of an automated sales suppression device, a felony punishable by 1-5 years.

59 counts of filing false monthly sales tax returns, a felony punishable by up to 5 years and/or a $5,000 fine.

Five counts of filing false joint income tax returns, punishable by up to 5 years and/or a $5,000 fine.

The restaurant remained open Friday. According to its website, Dong Chang learned to make sushi in his native Korea before moving to New York City to open a restaurant. He and his wife moved to Michigan to be closer to family and opened Sushi Samurai in 2002.

Contact John Wisely: 248-858-2262 or jwisely@freepress.com. On Twitter @jwisely.